Christmas in Beijing

Sitting in Starbucks in Beijing, listening to Christmas music, watching people walk by, sipping a soy toffee nut latte with Kristina G & MaryBeth... life is pretty good right now. I've been trying to upload a video of my kids for y'all, but can't get it to work - I'll ask a friend who is more computer-literate to work on it this weekend! Have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

My Awesome Job.

I have a cool job. I was able to talk a while ago to a friend that I haven’t heard from in a while who also has a cool job. It was really great talking about how we know we are exactly where we need to be AND love it. How rare is that? I am struck by how many people simply go through life without actively engaging in the world around them, and admit that I find myself simply existing at times. I don’t want to do that. I want to look back on my life with a sigh of satisfaction, not regret. In my decision to come to China, it definitely was a factor knowing that I could tell my children that yes; I went on a limb, out of my comfort zone for the One whose plans are bigger than mine for a year after college and lived in China. Now, as I’m processing through my options for next year (the list is a mile long), the same thought enters my mind. Will I say that I spent a year in China… or two… or more? Trust me, this is not something I am lightly processing, nor is it simple. Every day, conflicting opinions strike me as the “right” thing to do: “I miss my family, friends, comfort food, being on my own schedule, having a schedule, driving myself places, lack of communication/time zone issues. I love the idea of returning to school and the opportunities are definitely available Stateside for Loving people, in a common language and coffee shops!” But then… “To see someone grasp a new, life changing, life saving concept, to see His Love cross languages, using us as vessels, broken and damaged, yet able to communicate Truth… that’s life changing. To be a witness by simply living as I’m called to live. To have that level of accountability on a daily basis – weighty, but more educational that you could imagine. That’s actively engaging in life. That’s how I want to live my life. To be called is a beautiful privilege. Why wouldn’t I want to join Him in His work here? Plus, Chinglish is hilarious.”

So, as you can see, it’s a difficult thought process. If you feel led, feel free to Lift me up (& numerous others within our program who are feeling the same!) during this time!

On a much lighter note, the school’s Art Festival has officially begun! We sat outside on probably the grayest day I have yet experienced and watched every primary student (literally, hundreds of children) either shake purple pompoms or bright green fans in rhythm. It was unlike anything else I have ever experienced, but amazing. The teachers have been so stressed getting ready for that performance, and the ones to follow, but it was really great. Last week we had the Upper Primary performance on Tuesday night, and Lower Primary on Wednesday night. On both nights we danced to “My Heart Will Go On”… the New Found Glory, punk version. It was amazing. We were told, and I quote: “Maybe, the foreign teachers will… emerge… and create much excitement!” So we’re took that quite literally and were super dramatic – dressing crazy and bouncing off the walls. It was well received, I can promise you that. I hope to get video and post it. Additionally, we’ll be sang with the co-teachers with both groups – in Chinese with the Upper Primary, and then a translated song with the Lower Primary, that might as well be in Chinese.

Hope all is well with y’all!

Xi'an!

Ah…
Xi’an was a great weekend! We did visit one of the Starbucks (probably the coolest one I have ever been to, the architecture was amazing!). We saw the Terracotta Warriors, which were pretty cool. I don’t know if we were more impressed with the warriors or the beautiful fall trees, multi colored leaves falling and blue sky that day! We shopped at a market in Xi’an; I, of course, bought way too much, but enjoyed it! We got to hang out with the University team as well as some of the students that they teach.

It was a GREAT trip, minus the nasty stomach bug that I picked up on the way home. I had to take a day off of teaching and a day from office hours. BUT all is well now! Back to normal – even eating the cafeteria (which is not normal)!

Miscommunications abound in China, especially in my 2^nd grade classes! My favs so far:

(Pointing to a cup): “What’s his name?”

(Pointing to my glasses): “What time is it?”

Still trying to figure out that last one.

(MaryBeth & I walk about... 30x the speed of everyone else and their cameras. So this happens. A LOT.)

The Mountain Report

Here at SMBS (the name of our school), we have what we call “mountain” and “no mountain” days. See, there is a series of little mountains on the north side of the city that are very close (about an hour by private van or car). So, in reality, they should be visible, all the time. However, we did not know they existed for about 2 ½ weeks until there was a “mountain” day. Thus, we created a tally system. I believe we’ve had 5 clear mountain days where they are visible from our windows. There’s a number of reasons for the non-existent visibility – namely, the coal factories. However, last weekend we went to visit some other people in our organization who teach at the University at the base of those mountains. What was a “no mountain” day at SMBS was a BEAUTIFUL day at Zhong Bei! So we hiked up those mountains and looked out onto Taiyuan. AMAZING. We took some great pictures… Enjoy!

(Susie, MaryBeth, Kristina, me, Elizabeth, Jenni! *Tanya was at a mtg in Beijing*)

In other news…Monday was Kristina’s birthday (LOTS of cake and sugar and FAJITAS)! It was lots and lots of fun. She got a paper crown, a cake and a bouquet of flowers from our Foreign Affairs Official and the Pres of the school! It was great. We walked out of the cafeteria with all of that after lunch, and a kindergarten class saw her and started singing Happy Birthday in English! So adorable!

The teachers have been incredibly busy this week – the kids took midterms yesterday (even my 2^nd graders!) and then the parents are coming this weekend so the school must be very clean and all the students need to perform. We’re also having our Halloween party tomorrow night (I think I’ll be a tree again – I’m a tree in my classes to explain the word ‘costume’. It’s pretty sweet and simple – brown pants, green sweater, and scarf and hat with construction paper leaves pinned all over) then going to Xi’an on Friday night to visit a long-term university team in our organization to observe, learn more about that program, and sightsee! Pictures will definitely follow. Xi’an not only has the Terracotta Warriors, our friends, an awesome street market, rich local history, but also TWO Starbucks (xing bah kuh)!!!!!!

Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

P.S. CONGRATS Erin!! So proud of you!!!! =)

Hey Hey Money Go My Home!

Fun Fact on Chinese culture: KTV is huge. You think you know, the movies have spoofed it or you’ve seen Lost in Translation… but really… I don’t think it’s something that can be adequately conveyed unless you’ve experienced it. We sang, we dance, it was basically a cardio-aerobic exercise for 2 hours... with the Hokey Pokey, some sort of Penguin dance (that everyone else knows… except America), My Heart Will Go On, a song where the chorus SHOUTS "Hey Hey Money Go My Home!" etc. Samantha said: “We all have so much fun at KTV. We are crazy, we all go mad!!” PS – I love Samantha.

Last few weeks have gone really well. Classes are going ok, my 5^th graders are the most adorable students and so well behaved! I like them. A lot. My 2^nd graders are cute… but scoundrels. I’m actually typing this as I’m in the office, racking my brain for a song for us to sing today. Oi.

See? Cute. OUTSIDE the classroom.

Susie and I explored a lot of Taiyuan on Saturday. We’re pretty impressed with ourselves. We don’t know a lot of Chinese, but we were able to get a taxi to Parkson’s (a massive import store that is wildly overpriced but fun to look around… but seriously, 150RMB for a pint of Hagen Daas? That’s over 20USD. Nope). THEN we walked to WalMart (that’s right – WAL MART) by asking directions, got a taxi and went to Wo Yi Square where we somehow found a jeweler and got my necklace cleaned… and found an underground shopping center! I love these places. They are legit - but literally underground! This one was pretty good too – lots of purses and clothes and scarves and even an art store! Also… GIANT busts of Alexander the Great. Just in case you needed one.

Yesterday we had Fellowship, then a wonderful dinner and then games at one of the ladies apartments! And… she has cats! Now, I’m not particularly a cat person, but these were clean and cute and cuddly and so completely different from the cats we see around the school. It was a great evening.

I’ll keep this short, because I’ve already rambled a lot. It seems that this year has been the year of learning that I can’t fix everything. There are so many issues that come with this lesson (my favorite: pride. Ouch.) & I can’t even begin to explain how much I’ve learned in these areas already, and how much further I need to go. Superficially, it’s ok to want to fix Tanya’s toilet (and shower and washing machine and curtains), but if I can’t, that’s fine. But with heart matters, I seem to get in the way a lot. It’s ok, even healthy to want to help a friend, be a listening ear or shoulder to cry on, but I can’t erase or fix those wounds. I can't heal that grief. I can only point to the One who can, in relationships here and at home. We’re living in an incredibly dark city in a fallen world. I’m just Asking for opportunities to point to the One who can… without getting in the way.

The first month...

So... it’s been a while!

Let me backtrack and update you on my journey up to this point. I arrived in sunny Southern California on September 1, and finally met my team face-to-face. They. Are. Awesome. I’m incredibly grateful for them! Training was good, very informative, very LONG at times, but a valuable experience. Plus, amazing accommodations and food! :) On the 17^th, we trekked out to LAX (adventures along the way include a blown-out bus tire, McDonald’s, and karaoke quartet on the bus!) for our impossibly long flight to Shanghai, then connected to Beijing. I highly recommend flying directly to the city that you are going rather than connecting. It’s the last thing you want to do after 12 hours in the air! We spent a few wonderful days in Beijing exploring, spending time with our CTF-family, and adjusting to the time difference. It was sad saying goodbye to the other teams, we had all gotten so close, but it was exciting to finally be on our way to Taiyuan!

(Team on the Great Wall - L-R - Elizabeth, Jenni, Kristina, me, Mary Beth, Tanya - team leader - & Susie - roommate)

Our Foreign Affairs Official (who spoils us rotten!), took us to a hostel to rest before our 11 hour train ride from Beijing to Taiyuan – and then we got sleeper cars on the train! If you have never ridden a train in China, you most definitely want to get the SOFT SLEEPER cars – they are little rooms with doors and 2 bunk beds (sleeps 4). The hard sleeper cars just have a little curtain and stack 3 high. Thus, we were actually able to sleep being in the soft sleepers! We arrived in the rain early that morning and made our way to the school.

Since then, we’ve been settling into our apartments, taught for 3 days (I taught for 1… scheduling errors…!) and have been exploring the city that will be our home for the next 9 months! I’m sharing an apartment with Susie, my fantastic teammate, and it has… been an adventure. Once we get the apartment decorated just like we want, I’ll take pictures and show y’all and explain the … trials… we’ve had!

Fun fact about China: Whenever you get a new cell phone, you can choose the number. It is VERY important that you get a ‘good’ number. What exactly a good number entails, I have no idea – but I do know that it took about 15 minutes for my friend to choose mine. :)

To recap: Taiyuan is definitely different from anywhere else I have ever lived (or visited for that matter!), but despite the difficulties and differences, I feel myself falling in love with my students and the people of this city! While I may not know what the rest of my life holds, or even tomorrow, I do know in the deepest part of my heart that I belong in Taiyuan for this season. And, through His strength, I’m embracing that and will do my best to love those placed in my path!

Keep in touch!